C’mon. It’s kabuki theater.

Disgruntled Democrats finally had a chance to confront Speaker Nancy Pelosi face to face for the first time during a raucous closed-door caucus meeting Tuesday, as defeated Rep. Allen Boyd called her “the face of our defeat.”…

His comments were made shortly after Pelosi told Democrats she was targeted in races around the country because she is an effective leader for them. The Democratic gathering was the first gathering of the caucus since the party lost control of the House.

“There is great angst and frustration,” one moderate Democrat told POLITICO. The lawmaker said Pelosi would do well to “support and embrace some of the suggestions” from disaffected Democrats who want to change certain caucus rules to allow more input from rank and file on top party posts…

Pelosi, described as “nervous” by one source in the room Tuesday, is now trying to tamp down an incipient rebellion from lawmakers who believe she should not win election to the post of minority leader on Wednesday.

What’s she nervous about? Most of the Blue Dogs were put to sleep two weeks ago and now all that’s left is her zombified liberal caucus. The votes to beat her aren’t there. What this “revolt” really was, I assume, was a performance by centrists for the benefit of Pelosi-hating Democratic voters (knowing that the details of the meeting would leak) plus a venting session for incumbents like Boyd who got destroyed on election day despite having voted against all of Obama’s and Pelosi’s very “effective” signature legislation. Beats crying on the House floor, no? Besides, for all the centrists’ bluster, there’s not even a majority of Democrats nationwide willing to support ousting her. It’s close — 47 percent are Hoping for Change — but 45 percent would just as soon keep her on. If she really was nervous, it can only be because she’s (a) stunned that some in her own caucus fail to appreciate her remarkable “effectiveness” in passing laws that Americans dislike or (b) shaken at the possibility that her authority would be questioned. We don’t call her Captain Queeg for nothing.

Speaking of being out of touch with reality, the DCCC is planning a big party tomorrow night to celebrate the election of the new leadership. Will anyone to the right of, say, Alan Grayson attend?